Dave Knows Portland

Die-Oh-Ram-Ahs! The 2nd Annual Kick Ass Oregon History Diorama Contest

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The 2nd annual Kick Ass Oregon History Diorama Contest has begun.

As everybody knows – Dioramas Kick Ass! Those awesome little cardboard boxes detailed with globs of glue and faded construction paper that make history just jump to life! And do you know what kinds of Dioramas Kick the most Ass? Why ones about the History of Oregon, of course!!

Here’s how it works: Create a diorama depicting a Kick Ass Oregon Historical event (check out the podcasts and website for inspiration), take photos of your masterpiece, and email them to oregonhistorian@gmail.com by February 14, 2013 (Oregon’s Birthday!). The winners will be announced at the Stumptown Stories show at the Jack London Bar (in the basement of the Rialto at 529 SW 4th) on Tuesday, February 19, 2013. Winners will bask in fame and glory and gain a whole gang of fourth grades who HATE YOU and constantly sing-song “my diorama was better than yours” each and everytime they see you at Freddies. Oh – AAANNDD win some prizes!!

Entries will be judged on four categories, each worth 10 points:

  1. Kick Ass-ness
  2. Oregon Historical Significance
  3. Originality
  4. Ass Kicken-ness!

And if you bring your diorama to the Jack London show on February 19th, you’ll earn 5 bonus points!

The winner of the top diorama entry wins:

A Complimentary Guest Pass to an upcoming Kick Ass Oregon History Tour!!! AND Internet Fame AND the panache to tell Suzie Snotgrass at the 15th Reunion, “Oh shut your trap, Bitch!”

Stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter and check out the post on ORHistory.com for photos of last year’s entries and more details.

Kick Ass Oregon History Vol 5 #8: McCall Prison Riot

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KAOH5.8: McCall Prison RiotKick Ass Oregon History is the latest series of podcasts from the enthusiastic historians behind ORHistory.com.

And volume 5 #8 just dropped: McCall Prison Riot.

In which we learn that Oregon Governor Tom McCall was a committed champion of prisoner’s rights, yet even he could not prevent riots and deadly escapes from Oregon’s prisons.

The brains behind this Kick Ass project are the crack hustlers of Oregon History Doug Kenck-Crispin and Andy Lindberg. Doug is a graduate student studying Public History and Pacific Northwest History at PSU, and Andy, though a Portland native, is currently working as an actor in New York City. Doug does most of the research and writing for the podcasts with input from Andy, who voices the broadcasts with a thespian’s flair.

The Kick Ass Oregon History podcast covers just the good stuff: Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll and Earth Shattering, Devastating Destruction.

Ultimately, our goal is to take Oregon History out of the hallowed halls of the academy, get folks excited and enthused about this shared history, and get them out into the state, digging it and experiencing it. Get them to embrace it, and get their boots muddy in the process. It’s all OUR History; nobody owns it.

Visit ORHistory.com and stay tuned to @Oregon_History on Twitter for further details on specific episodes and the series. Catch up on missed episodes at the Kick Ass Oregon History archives.

OE History Night: Of Casts and Characters – the Early Years and Collections of the Portland Art Museum (5-November-2012)

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Of Cast and Characters - the Early Years and Collections of the Portland Art MuseumThe Oregon Encyclopedia, in conjunction with McMenamins, the Northwest Examiner, and the Portland Art Museum, presents Of Cast and Characters: the Early Years and Collections of the Portland Art Museum. Monday, November 5, 2012 at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan).

Journey back to late 19th century Portland and the founding of the city’s art museum to learn about its earliest art collections including hundreds of plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture. At the time few people could afford to travel to Europe, fledgling museums such as Portland’s acquired reproductions of important monuments and works of art to establish the basis of their collections. Art schools collected plaster casts so students could study and draw from the best examples of classical and Renaissance sculpture.

The presenter Prudence Roberts, Instructor of Art History, Portland Community College and former Curator of American Art at the Portland Art Museum.

Admission is free to this, and all the OE History Night events. Children are welcome if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Doors open at 6 p.m., presentation starts at 7 p.m.

History Pub: Geological History and the development of Oregon’s Wine Industry (29-October-2012)

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Geological History and the development of Oregon’s Wine Industry is the topic of the latest History Pub at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd), on Monday, October 29, 2012.

This special Oregon Wine program will explore the relationship of geology, soils, and climate to wine, and discuss the development of the wine industry in our State, noting the geology of the wine regions, and show how they have meshed.

Additionally, exciting progress with the Oregon Wine History Archive (OWHA) will be described and explained. Materials in the developing OWHA collection will eventually document all aspects of the Oregon wine industry; including people from every aspect of work, wineries from every Oregon region, and materials that illustrate the process from the planting of the grape to the bottling and selling of wine.

The presenters are Scott F. Burns, professor of Geology, Portland State University, and Rachael Cristine Woody, Archivist, Linfield College.

Join event co-sponsors Oregon Historical Society and Holy Names Heritage Center at 7pm Monday for a beer and history! Admission is free and this event is all ages. Please bring canned food donations for the Oregon Food Bank!

Portland Weekend Amusements (October 26-28, 2012)

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Ongoing

Willamette Pedestrian CoalitionWalktober PDX 2012

Walktober PDX 2012 runs from Saturday, October 6 through Halloween (the greatest walking holiday of the year).

Inspired by Pedalpalooza, three weeks of bikey fun in Portland held every June, the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition conceived Walktober to promote walking as a fun, healthy, ubiquitous activity in the Portland metro region. [more]

All weekend

Portland Humanist Film FestivalPortland Humanist Film Festival

The third annual Portland Humanist Film Festival (PHFF), 35mm closer to reality, takes place Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28, 2012 at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st).

Sponsored by the Center For Inquiry, the PHFF was established to be a provocative and enlightening cultural experience indicative of the rapidly growing Humanist movement in the Pacific Northwest. [more]

Friday

Portland Art MuseumPortland Art Museum Free Day (5pm-8pm)

Admission to the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park) is free on Friday, October 26, 2012 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

The museum offers free admission ever fourth Friday (5 p.m.- 8 p.m.) of the month. [more]

Strip City’s Storied Sex Worker Specters AND Midnight Cowboy!Strip City’s Storied Sex Worker Specters & Midnight Cowboy

Kick Ass Oregon History presents Strip City’s Storied Sex Workers Spectre… a.k.a. Portland’s Dead Prostitutes plus a screening of Midnight Cowboy, this Friday, October 26, 2012 at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan).

Ribald Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin will be on hand to share ghostly tales – about sex worker from Strip City. [more]

Night of the Living Ales 2012Night of the Living Ales

The third annual Night of the Living Ales takes place Friday, October 26, 2012 at Burnside Brewing (East Burnside at 7th).

“Night of the Living Ales is the ultimate Halloween extravaganza designed around everything that makes Portland and Halloween great – craft beers, burlesque, costume contests, go-go dancers and the album release for local hometown favorite Boy Eats Drum Machine with additional musical stylings by Oh, Darling.” [more]

Saturday-Sunday

SquishHowloween and the Squishing of the Squash at the Oregon Zoo

Each year the Oregon Zoo acknowledges the reason for the season (i.e. pumpkins) right around Halloween.

The Annual Squishing of the Squash takes place Friday, October 26, 2012 in the elephant area, at 10:30 a.m. The elephants will get to take out their aggression on a huge and innocent pumpkin. This event is free with your paid zoo admission. [more]

Saturday

PumpkinGreat Pumpkin Event at Portland Farmers Market

The Portland Farmers Market annual Great Pumpkin Event takes place on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at the PSU market.

The pumpkin carving contest goes from 9 a.m. to noon (or while supplies last). Awards will be announced at 12:30 p.m. The winner in the kids competition receives a basket of market goodies. The adult contest winner gets $130 in Organic Valley coupons. [more]

Portland TimbersPortland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes

The Portland Timbers (8-16-9) aim to end the season on a high note at home Saturday when they face the league leading San Jose Earthquakes (19-6-8) at Jeld-Wen Field.

The Timbers scored their only road win of the season last weekend in Vancouver, and collected the Cascadia Cup for good measure too. Here’s hoping they put of a good fight at the last home match of the season! [more]

And for even more weekend events and activities, check out the Dave Knows Calendar, and visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com.